Great sparkling wine doesn't have to come from Champagne, but it does have to come from great terroir. Arnaud Lambert has one of the best white wine terroirs in the Loire valley, the iconic hill of Brézé .

Brézé is home to a historic fairytale château with expansive grounds, but it’s celebrated in wine circles for producing marvelous, ageworthy Chenin Blanc, most famously from Clos Rougeard. Brézé's ideal exposition and deep subsoils of chalky tuffeau (limestone), give the wines from this hallowed terroir unique freshness, cut and drive, offering a perfect counterpoint to Chenin’s natural tendency towards richness and power.

One of the most talented growers in the Loire valley, Arnaud Lambert is doing everything right: organic farming, hand harvesting, and native yeast fermentations, resulting in wines with deliciously clear terroir expressions. To maintain maximum freshness, he blends steel-aged Chenin Blanc (75%) with Chardonnay, and he adds levels of depth and complexity by aging the wine for a year sur latte in bottle.

Brézé’s voice comes through crystal clear in the wine, with layer upon layer of ripe yellow stone fruit and plenty of cooling, crisp, mineral cut. It’s delicate and refreshing–a near perfect aperitif–but there is more than enough oomph for this beautiful bottle of bubbly to pair seamlessly throughout a meal.

As we move into the early days of summer, Lambert’s Crémant needs to be in your fridge, at the ready for any moment that demands a little extra sparkle and sophistication.

Arnaud Lambert Crémant de Loire Blanc, NV $25.99